Grenadier (Locust)
The Grenadiers were Locust shock troopers, often seen wielding a Gnasher Shotgun and Boltok Pistol, or throwing Bolo Grenades. History Locust War Destruction of Halvo Bay Grenadiers fought Kilo Squad under General Karn's orders and attacked various locations throughout Halvo Bay. These Grenadiers were more similar to Drones. This could be because they hadn't yet mutated to their heavier and bulkier looks observed later during the Locust War. They were part of the besieging force attacking the Museum of Military Glory and the Halvo Bay Military Academy, killing every single Gear or civilian they encountered across their path. They also ransacked through Seahorse Hills and successfully wiped out most of the rich people living there, destroying evacuation outposts and killing any Onyx Guard defending them. However, they were unable to enter Kurt Elliot's mansion due to the automatic defense system but later tried to use Mortars to destroy it. They later invaded Onyx Point and overcame all defenses that the Onyx soldiers used. Many were sent by Karn himself to stop Kilo Squad from launching the Lightmass Missile but were taken down by Kilo. Finally they assaulted the courtroom in which Kilo was put on trial and aided their General but were eventually slain by Kilo. Despite the heavy casualties and the loss of their General, the Locust continued their rampage throughout the city and eventually killed Col. Ezra P. Loomis and many more Gears before the COG finally retreated. This and the loss of many more cities over the course of the next year led the COG to launch their last resort: the Hammer of Dawn Counterattack. Lightmass Offensive During the Lightmass Offensive, Grenadiers defended key points in Ephyra city including the House of Sovereigns and its surroundings. They first ambushed Delta Squad while they searched for Alpha Squad near the House of Sovereigns. The Grenadiers ambushed Delta through their way into the House of Sovereigns but were always overwhelmed and thwarted. They guarded many staging areas and rooftops around Delta on their way to Franklin's Outpost. Many Grenadiers guarded the paths to Checkpoint One and Checkpoint Two and some of them were devoured by the incoming horde of Kryll. A group of Grenadiers helped the Theron Guards and Theron Sentinels to protect the pumping station from Delta Squad. Grenadiers guarded the path to East Barricade Academy from Delta Squad along with Boomers and Theron Sentinels, particularly ambushing them through the streets they divided to cross. However they were flanked and killed. They would be used by the Theron Sentinel in his ambushes but were unable to stop Marcus and Dom. They defended the Fenix Estate from various angles; particularly the basement and the hidden lab. A few Grenadiers tried to stop Delta from clearing Nassar Park, the Theatre and Timgad Central Energy. When the Lightmass Bomb was deployed, hundreds of Grenadiers were seen dying from the incoming blast, along with the rest of the Locust stationed in the Outer Hollow. Liberation of Jilane Many Grenadiers attacked the city of Jilane under the command of the Scarred Kantus. They attacked the bunker in which the Humans were taking refuge but fell to the Frag Tag Grenades and the rain of bullets the Gears delivered upon them. More Grenadiers attacked Matron while she valiantly defended the control room from where a bomb would explode. She succeeded and all the Grenadiers inside the city were killed by the huge explosion. Operation: Hollow Storm They would later take part in the Siege of Jacinto appearing at the Jacinto Medical Center and trying to infiltrate the facility but were stopped. During Operation: Hollow Storm, they appeared at the Inner Hollows ambushing squads of Gears and destoying grindlifts and appearing at the Ilima sinkhole, killing any human that survived the sinking of the city. Some Grenadiers and Flame Grenadiers appeared and attacked the New Hope Research Facility. A quartet of Grenadiers attacked a hijacked Gunboat by Delta-One, along with a Grinder, but were dispatched by the Troika on the Gunboat. They protected the Queen's Palace, but as Delta advanced they saw many Grenadiers turning Lambent and attacking Nexus during the Locust Civil War, overpowering Locust forces. Lambent Grenadier corpses were found by Delta Squad. Later, a squad approached Delta and one of them tried to attack them but Augustus Cole disposed of it. Its Imulsion later returned to the main group. They would later attack Jacinto Plateau and try to attack the COG outposts to prevent the Gears from reaching Jacinto's sinkhole but all of them were overwhelmed and killed.Gears of War 2 Lambent Pandemic Without the leadership of their queen, many Grenadiers became feral and returned to their savage state, becoming Savage Grenadiers and would form one of the primary soldiers of the Savage Locust. It can be assumed that most, if not all, Grenadiers died when the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon was activated. Subclasses *'Grenadier Elites' are similar to the original, though they wear shoulder and lower body armor. They can take more punishment, apparently, and seem to be even more aggressive than the standard Grenadier. *'Flame Grenadiers' are armed with a Scorcher Flamethrower instead of a Gnasher Shotgun. *'Savage Grenadiers' are a new type of almost feral Drone armed with a Sawed-Off Shotgun that appeared around 18 months after the Sinking of Jacinto. *Locust Hunters are similar to Grenadier Elites: they have the same armor but they have helmets. They use their sense of smell to hunt down humans, hence the name. Appearances Grenadiers are first introduced in the chapter Knock Knock of Act 1 as Delta Squad is heading for the House of Sovereigns. There, they are seen guarding the entrance as well as the interior of the House; they also participate in an ambush when Delta Squad secures a position inside the House. Later on, they are seen several times, but stop appearing in Act 5. Game Strategies Grenadiers should always be remembered for their weapons and fighting style. They always use their Gnasher Shotgun in standard combat, and should never be allowed to get close. If they do, think fast. You can either fall back (if there's somewhere to go), blindfire and hope they die, or engage in a smackdown contest. In a smackdown contest, you can either smack the Grenadier down (this can take 3 or more smacks), but watch for other enemies and the Grenadier himself. If you have a close up weapon and you can melee him, smack him with your weapon and then quickly shoot him before he starts firing on you, although this is not recommended on anything higher then Casual. The other armament that they use are their Bolo Grenades. If you see a Grenadier attempting to throw one, try and shoot him down first. As with most players and AI's who use grenades, they will always aim it until they have the best "aim", leaving themselves vulnerable to attack. In fact, if you can down him before he throws, the grenade may detonate, killing the Grenadier and other nearby Drones. If he does throw it, however, watch the grenade or listen for the distinct beeping sounds to determine if you should move or just stay down. One other situation to watch out for is if the Grenadier has a grenade armed and is close to you, he will probably try to tag you, and you should react quickly. Shoot him dead, or fall back to a safer position and kill him from long range. You should also do your best to stay far away from them on Insane because one blast from their shotgun or one melee will be enough to down you and if you're playing on co-op and this happens, they will most likely execute you right afterward. Behind the scenes *In Gears of War, when you are at the menu where you pick who you want to start a Multiplayer match, if you choose the Grenadier you will play as the elite when you start a match and vice-versa. *You can actually shoot the Lambent Grenadiers the first time you see them, however this requires you to be fast. *Many Grenadiers appear in Marcus' dream at the beginning of Gears of War 3, being the most frequent enemies in the chapter. They don't appear in the rest of the campaign though. *In Gears of War: Judgment, the Grenadier's appearance changes drastically from the one seen in previous games, looking more like a heavily armored Drone. However, in the Overrun game mode, they have the same look from previous games. The same happens with corpses found in the campaign and in cinematics. The reason for this inconsistency remains unknown. *Grenadier's are some times seen with a shoulder plate that looks similar to the Bolter's and are some times seen with a pauldron that has spikes lining it. Multiplayer *The Grenadier is a playable character in Gears of War and Gears of War 2. *The Locust Grenadier is a playable character in Gears of War 3, unlocked at level 39. This is quite odd as the Grenadier Elite is unlocked much earlier. *In Gears of War: Judgment, the Grenadier is a playable creature in OverRun mode. It is availiable from the start and is equipped with a Gnasher Shotgun and a Lancer Assault Rifle. The Grenadier's special ability allows it to toss a Bolo Grenade in order to damage/kill opponents and to damage/destroy fortifications. The Grenadier can be healed by a Kantus and is able to revive other downed Grenadiers. *The Grenadier is a playable character in Gears of War 4, available in the Locust Drones Gear Pack. References Category:Lambent Locust Category:Locust Soldier